


off line

by frausorge



Category: Chef (2014)
Genre: F/M, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-21
Updated: 2014-06-21
Packaged: 2018-02-05 14:11:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1821265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frausorge/pseuds/frausorge
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The dancing was still going strong when Percy ducked away.</p>
            </blockquote>





	off line

The dancing was still going strong when Percy ducked away to look for his phone charger. He'd been carrying it in his jacket pocket in the morning, but Mom had made him put it away in his backpack before the photo session, and now he had almost no battery left. He was pretty sure the bags had all been dumped in the office, so he headed in that direction. 

The corridor leading to the back of the building was dark, and comparatively quiet. It was not, however, empty. There was someone - Martin, it was Martin - sitting on the floor next to the office door, leaning back against the wall and drinking from a champagne bottle. Percy could recognize the shape now; his dad had taught him.

"Hi," Percy said.

Martin turned his head without lifting it from the wall. "My man," he said. "What's the story, mi amigo, how are you?"

"Good," Percy said. "Why are you sitting all the way back here?"

Martin didn't answer for a second. "Because it's quieter," he said then.

"Oh," Percy said. He wondered if he should leave.

"You ever tried champagne yet?" Martin said. "You can have a little sip if you want."

"Ok." Percy sat down next to Martin and took the bottle he passed over. It wasn't too heavy, maybe only about half full. Percy lifted it and let a few drops roll onto his tongue. "Ew," he said, handing the bottle back. "That's disgusting."

"Yes it is," Martin said. "Yes it is." He took another long swallow.

Percy thought for a moment. "¿No te estás divirtiendo?" he said carefully.

"¿Qué?" Martin said. "¿Lo que estoy oyendo? You're speaking Spanish now?"

"Me and Dad are learning together," Percy said. "He said he wanted to be able to understand Mom's family better. And that it's good for me to learn, too."

"Maravilloso," Martin said. "Sí, es bueno para ti." He drank again. "Your mother must be very happy."

"I think so," Percy said. "I mean, they're happy anyway right now. But yeah, I think that's helping."

"And you?" Martin said. "Are you happy?"

Nobody had asked Percy that, flat out in so many words. He thought about it. "Yeah," he said. "It's nice having Dad living at home again. He seems less stressed out than before. And I love cooking in the restaurant."

Martin lifted his free hand for a fist bump. Percy knocked it out and kept on thinking.

"Sometimes I miss being out on the road in the truck, though," he said. "It was cool too when it was just you, Dad, and me."

Martin turned to look at him. "We had fun last summer, didn't we?" 

Percy nodded.

"Martin," he said after a minute. "Why'd you quit your job and fly to Miami to help my dad in the truck for free?"

Martin was silent again.

"You're a smart kid," he said finally. "You're smart, and you're hard-working, and you're turning into a really good cook. I am so fucking proud of you, you know that? Proud like if you were my own son."

"Thank you," Percy said. "I mean, gracias."

"Como mi propio hijo," Martin repeated.

Percy swallowed hard. "I'd be really proud if you were my dad," he said.

Martin put the bottle down and put his arm around Percy instead. Percy leaned his head against Martin's shoulder. They sat together like that until Percy fell asleep.


End file.
